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AFC Women’s Champions League:
Khatoon hammered by Kobe in group opener
Yui Narumiya’s first half strike set the tone for Kobe, who extended their lead through Mao Kubota, only for Zahra Sarbali to pull one back from the spot, with Maya Yamamoto and Ai Tsujisawa adding further goals to seal the win.
Maryam Dini tested Kobe goalkeeper Momoko Tanaka in the ninth minute from distance before the Japanese side took control, with Ayaka Michigami and Fukina Mizuno both threatening Raha Yazdani at the other end.
Kobe continued to press, with Tamaki Okuma heading wide from Ai Kuwahara’s corner in the 14th minute, Mizuno and Okuma then seeing efforts blocked moments later, before Yui Narumiya’s close range effort was foiled by Yazdani.
Khatoon thought they had taken the lead in the 29th minute when Mona Hamoudi sent Dini through on goal, with the forward looping her effort over Tanaka with the ball bouncing off the underside of the bar and over the line, only for the goal to be ruled offside.
The Japanese side finally made their pressure count in the 35th minute when Mizuno and Narumiya combined nicely at the edge of the area before the latter converted Mizuno’s cut-back with a composed finish.
Kobe came out strongly after the break, with Yazdani saving Maya Yamamoto’s long-range effort in the 46th minute before denying Okuma four minutes later but the Iranian shot-stopper could do nothing to stop the Japanese side in the 50th minute.
Fukina Mizuno guided her headed pass off Yazdani’s goal kick, to Michigami, who set up Kubota to split through the Khatoon defence and slot home.
Khatoon, however, clawed their way back in the 53rd minute after Yamamoto conceded a penalty for handling the ball, with Sarbali converting from the spot.
Unfortunately, Khatoon were reduced to 10 players in the 66th minute after Sara Didar’s overhead clearance inside the box resulted in a foul on Okuma, with the referee awarding a penalty.
Yazdani, however, went the right way to deny Okuma from the spot, before foiling Natsume Kingetsu on the follow-up.
Play was interrupted by bad weather in the 74th minute but upon resumption, Kobe added the third in the 87th minute after Yamamoto received Kubota’s pass inside the box before beating her marker and slotting past Yazdani.
Tsujisawa furthered Kobe’s advantage in the first minute of stoppage time after capitalsiing on a poor clearance from Melika Motevalli to slot home from close range.